Times are tough in the ready-to-eat and boxed meal industries. In order to be able to continue in business, Cook it has taken steps to protect itself from creditors, and is planning to be bought out by British Columbia-based Fresh Prep Foods.

In a new article for The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener, Javed Sidiqi, Eric Bishop Von Wettberg and McGill Plant Science Assistant Professor Valerio Hoyos Villegas dive into the potential of the humble chickpea, an increasingly popular legume known for high nutritional value and nitrogen-fixing properties. 

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has announced their appointment of Dr. Stanford Blade (PhD(AgEnvSc)'91) as Deputy Director General-Research. Dr. Blade holds a Ph.D. from McGill University for plant breeding/cropping systems research, conducted at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and supported by a Government of Canada Doctoral Scholarship.

In the contemporary agricultural landscape, interest in vertical farming is surging. This alternative to conventional methods can allow farmer's to cultivate crops in compact spaces, maximizing output without expanding horizontally by instead cultivating crops in vertically stacked layers or inclined surfaces. Increasing land use efficiency is critical as the world grapples with limited arable land, especially in urban areas.

For the fourth year in a row, a McGill Plant Science student has won one of three annual Canadian Plant Breeding Innovation (CPBI) Innovation scholarships, which recognize up-and-coming young plant breeders.

As hostile weather intensifies, plant breeding focused on climate-adapted crops has taken on a sense of urgency. 

With cultivated crops often suffering from a lack of genetic diversity making them more susceptible to diseases and pests, scientists are now turning to wild varieties, which can offer valuable yet previously overlooked genetic traits. By crossing the wild tepary bean with a black bean or a pinto bean, for example, scientists may be able to breed a new variety that can better endure similar harsh environmental conditions that its relative thrived in.

At the Eastern Regional Meeting of the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists (CSPB-SCBV) earlier this month, three McGill Department of Plant Science students received CSPB-SCBV Director's Awards for their outstanding presentations. University students from all over Quebec and Ontario shared their research in poster and oral presentations. Congratulations to our winners: